Elon Musk is pushing forward with fully self-driving cars. In an interview with Chinese officials, the Tesla and Space-X owner states that stage-5 autonomous driving will be available by 2021.

“At Tesla, I feel like we are very close to level 5 autonomy. We will have the basic functionality for level 5 autonomy complete this year.”

Throughout the development, there have been many hurdles. From developing more effective and safer strategies to legal acquisitions, the company is preparing for the future.

The development of full automation has been tricky for some companies. In February, Volkswagen pushed to limit their development team in order to pursue their EV line.

According to Elon Musk, it appears that they have a different idea.

“I think there are no fundamental challenges remaining for Level 5 autonomy. There are many small problems. And then there’s the challenge of solving all those small problems and putting the whole system together and just keep addressing the long tail of problems. You’ll find that you’re able to handle the vast majority of situations.”

The electric car industry is making great strides. From 5-years ago, the thought of fully driving vehicles seemed to be in the future – perhaps further out than most thought.

Tesla is constantly pushing itself further out than their competitors. While many have yet to release their first line of electric cars, Tesla is already dominating the electric car market.

For their competitors, it appears that their efforts are shifting. While many are pulling back from self-driving technology, Tesla is pushing forward.

Having self-driving technology at stage 5 means a lot across the board for all automotive industries. Two of the most highly interested industries – trucking and taxi services are waiting for their turn to enjoy the technological benefits.

With many avenues outside of commuters, the advancement of AI will help keep US roads safer.